1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fluorescence instruments for analysis of oil samples and, more particularly, is directed towards a portable fluorescence instrument for on-site identification of oil samples and hazardous materials by recording the sample fluorescence spectrum on an instant film.
2. The Prior Art
Spectrometers are complex instruments that do not lend themselves to field use requiring on-site analysis of samples. Rather, samples taken in the field have to be brought to a laboratory equipped with a spectrometer to do the analysis. This results in delay and added expense. Such delay is particularly undesirable when trying to combat the effect of an oil spill on a beach far away from the laboratory. The delay attendant upon such distant analysis of the spill further aggrevates an already difficult situation, raising the cost of cleanup further. When dealing with hazardous materials, such delays occasioned by remote analysis introduce the further potential risk to life.